Purpose
To explore the relationship between nursing care needs and acuity based on the Korean Patient Classification System for Critical Care Nurses (KPCSC) and APACHE II, and to identify their prognostic value in predicting mortality.
Methods
A total of 617 patients admitted to a surgical intensive care unit in a tertiary hospital from January 1 to June 30, 2021 were included. The correlation between KPCSC and APACHE II scores, and their predictive power regarding mortality were examined.
Results
KPCSC and APACHE II scores showed a significant, positive correlation (r=.32, p<.001). The KPCSC score was significantly correlated with 10 out of 11 KPCSC categories and 2 out of 3 APACHE II domains, whereas the APACHE II score had a significant correlation with all APACHE II domains and only 4 out of 11 KPCSC categories. Both KPCSC and APACHE II demonstrated moderate discriminatory performance in predicting ICU and in-hospital death, and their AUC values were not significantly different.
Conclusion
KPCSC, reflecting the severity of illness, predicted mortality as well as APACHE II. However, KPCSC was found to consider factors other than severity, such as patient dependency, which substantiates its value as an assessment tool for nursing care needs.

Citations

• Comparisons of nursing hours and nurse-to-patient ratios required for patients with mechanical ventilation, CRRT, and ECMO in intensive care units: A cross-sectional study
  Sung-Hyun Cho, Shin-Ae Kim, Eunhye Kim
  Intensive and Critical Care Nursing.2025; 89: 103982.     CrossRef
• Relationship between Nurse Staffing and Critical Nursing Activities in Intensive Care Units : Analysis of National Health Insurance Claims Data from 2009 to 2020
  U Ri Go, Sung-Hyun Cho
  Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing.2024; 17(2): 25.     CrossRef

Purpose
To develop a web-based solution for patient need-driven staffing (PNDS) that automatically determines nurses’ staffing requirements. Methods: Activities provided by nurses in four integrated nursing care wards (INCWs) and non-INCWs each in a tertiary hospital were observed over three days. Nursing hours per patient hour (NHPPH) were calculated by dividing nursing hours by patient stay hours per day. Patient needs were evaluated using 19 items. Results: The nurse-patient ratios in INCWs and non-INCWs were 1:4.5 and 1:8.1 (including overtime), respectively. Admitted and transferred-in patients had higher NHPPHs than those with continuing stays. The patients were classified into five groups: Group A for admissions and transfers-in, and Groups 1~4 for the remainder. In INCWs, the nurse-patient ratios ranged from 1:5.3 (Group 1) to 1:2.4 (Group 4), and Group A required 1:3.0, the secondhighest level. In non-INCWs, ratios ranged from 1:9.4 (Group 1) to 1:5.2 (Group 4 and Group A). The PNDS solution was developed to determine staffing requirements by classifying patients into five groups using the entered data on patient needs, assigning the group’s NHPPH to each patient, and calculating the staffing ratio required in the unit. Conclusion: The PNDS is expected to support staffing decisions to meet patient needs.

Citations

• Comparisons of nursing hours and nurse-to-patient ratios required for patients with mechanical ventilation, CRRT, and ECMO in intensive care units: A cross-sectional study
  Sung-Hyun Cho, Shin-Ae Kim, Eunhye Kim
  Intensive and Critical Care Nursing.2025; 89: 103982.     CrossRef
• Comparison of Nurse Work Hours and Nursing Activities Between High‐ and Low‐Staffed General Wards: A Cross‐Sectional Study
  Jiyeong Seong, Sung‐Hyun Cho, Hyo‐Jeong Yoon, Won‐Hee Sim, Moon‐Sook Kim
  Nursing Open.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Trajectories of nursing hours over the course of hospitalization and estimated additional nurse staffing requirements to reduce the length of stay
  Shin‐Ae Kim, Sung‐Hyun Cho
  Journal of Nursing Scholarship.2024; 56(5): 694.     CrossRef
• Recommending Revised Inpatient Nursing Fee Schedules Based on Actual Nurse Staffing Levels in General Wards
  Sung-Hyun Cho, Jinhyun Kim, Jiyeong Seong, Ji-Yun Lee
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration.2023; 29(5): 540.     CrossRef